HALIFAX - A gun amnesty program that collected 1,074 muskets, purse-sized pistols, sawed-off shotguns, old military weapons and other guns was a complete success, says Halifax's public safety officer.
Supt. Don Spicer, the region's public safety officer, and Const. Don Jenkins of Halifax Regional Police displayed hundreds of the weapons Thursday that were collected in November as part of Pixels for Pistols.
The program allowed people to trade guns and ammunition for digital cameras and imaging gift cards.
Two corporate sponsors, Henry's cameras and Sony, helped police with the program. In all, police handed out 800 vouchers that were worth $300 for cameras and imaging cards, all of which was covered by the sponsors.
"Their commitment to public safety ... has been nothing short of phenomenal," Spicer said at a news conference at police headquarters.
The weapons collected included 201 handguns, 873 long guns and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. In 2006, the last time the police attempted a gun amnesty, they had nothing to trade in exchange for the weapons and only collected 50 guns.
Spicer thanked everyone who traded in a weapon.
"They can have the peace of mind of knowing that their guns will never wind up in the hands of criminals. Most of the guns that are used in crimes have been stolen from legitimate gun owners through break and enters. So the more guns that we get off the street, the less guns that are available for the criminals."
The guns will be examined to see if they were used in any crimes. Those that aren't will be destroyed, but any guns of historical significance may be donated to museums.
Jenkins helped co-ordinate the efforts of officers to collect the guns. Regional police officers picked up weapons in their districts and Halifax RCMP did the same in their jurisdiction.
Some weapons were properly taken apart, while others were just lying around. Fewer than half the guns they got were registered.